FlyTrapCare Forums

Hi all,

I'm new to this hobby but have been reading loads about these plants and recently about dormancy.
I live in The Netherlands where the climate is actually good for VFT outdoors dormancy. My main problem is that i live on an apartment with no balcony. I have basement storage room but i'm not sure if the conditions are ideal there for this, plus the lighting could be a problem.

So... since i'm an electronics enthusiast and hobbyist i decided to create my own dormancy contraption. I have read about avoiding fridge dormancy but i would like to share my idea/approach and get your feedback on if it can be reliable.

My idea is to create a mini cooler box with temps between (5 - 10 C / 40 - 50 F), they can even vary throughout the day like it would naturally outdoors.
Also, the box would have an acrylic front and top covers so the plants can have sun all day. My window is west sided.

You guys think this would work? The idea is just to throw the pots in and that's it. Are there any extra cares i should take to make this project more reliable and safe for the plants? THANKS!!

I'm more than happy to share the final mini cooler and results here.

Sounds like it should work fine. If they are kept between 35-40*F they don't need any light at all. In true dormancy the rate of photosynthesis slows down to the point where they don't really utilize much light anyways. I keep mine in the garage over the winter currently until I build a greenhouse and I let them get light until the temps start dropping below 45F. Then they are just in pure darkness for 2-3 months until I make it warm enough for them to start growing again.

I also have a juniper and a pine tree I stick in my garage in the winter and they don't get any light at all. Never has affected them.

optique wrote:https://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-t ... y-tutorial

Hi! Thank you for the reply but i already had seen that. Like i said, i'm trying to combine my both hobbies and make something nice and useful out of it. My goal is to just throw in the pots in and that's it.. so not so much work involved.

SundewWolf wrote:Sounds like it should work fine. If they are kept between 35-40*F they don't need any light at all. In true dormancy the rate of photosynthesis slows down to the point where they don't really utilize much light anyways. I keep mine in the garage over the winter currently until I build a greenhouse and I let them get light until the temps start dropping below 45F. Then they are just in pure darkness for 2-3 months until I make it warm enough for them to start growing again.

I also have a juniper and a pine tree I stick in my garage in the winter and they don't get any light at all. Never has affected them.

I think i'll go for it

Another advantage is that i can acclimate them on the spot inside the cooler simply by gradually raising the temp inside.

DiogoQ wrote:
Another advantage is that i can acclimate them on the spot inside the cooler simply by gradually raising the temp inside.

Yeah controlling the temp is a good idea. I should buy some thermostat for my heaters since this February things got hotter in my garage than I wanted and they were sprouting with snow outside. I thought I was going to build a greenhouse this fall so I didn't worry about my dormancy box set up, but now it looks like that greenhouse won't be possible, so I'll need to find a temperature regulator for my heating elements in the garage.

For VFTs, I drain off excess water from the pots, hit them with a sulphur based fungicide and place in zip lock bags and pop them in the fridge for 3-4 months. I occasionally check them (once a month) for fungus and hit with the fungicide if needed. Late winter around February/March I take them out hit them with sulphur based fungicide again and place in a south and west window and some under florescent and white 'daylight' LED lights until night time temps. regularly stay above freezing then slowly acclimate them to full outdoor Sun. I've been using this method for 11 years with no losses.

Hi. I live in an apartment in Northern Finland. I am also new to this hobby and thought about doing the same thing with the cooler box. Did it work? Please let me know any protocols you have.

Swanj wrote: ↑Sun May 09, 2021 4:50 pm Hi. I live in an apartment in Northern Finland. I am also new to this hobby and thought about doing the same thing with the cooler box. Did it work? Please let me know any protocols you have.

I have been doing fridge dormancy for 13 years now. I have never lost a single plant. Read my post above from 2019.